Practicing consultation/liaison psychiatry/psychosomatic medicine puts a physician at the juncture of physical and mental health, one of the most complex relationships in human medicine. Consultation psychiatrists treat a diverse patient population, including patients whose medical disease or treatment leads to psychiatric symptoms, patients who are struggling to cope with physical disease, as well as those with a history of significant psychiatric illness who require medical or surgical treatment. A fellowship in Consultation/Liaison Psychiatry trains psychiatrists to specialize their training to serve this complex, often underserved, population with confidence and competence.

Thomas Jefferson University Hospital cares for medically complex individuals, many of whom require our specialized services. This affords the fellow access to the many facets of our field: pre- and post-operative transplant assessments, ongoing care for people with a cancer diagnosis, women’s mental health, substance abuse, and psychopharmacologic management in the setting of polypharmacy. The service at Methodist Hospital, located in South Philadelphia, also provides extensive experience in a much smaller community hospital.

In addition to the core rotations, a number of electives are available to suit the fellows’ subspecialty interests.

We have seven outstanding faculty members trained and boarded in psychosomatic medicine, and a total of 28 faculty in the Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior. Fellows in psychosomatic medicine have a unique opportunity to interact with a wide variety of teachers. Our faculty is nationally recognized by the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine, the national organization for consultation/liaison psychiatry. Each faculty member is dedicated to specific aspects of the training program. There is an emphasis on the development of fellows to work in academic medicine and also to become future program leaders.

Jefferson is home to the Sidney Kimmel Medical College, one of the largest private medical schools in the country. There are opportunities to teach both in formal didactic settings and also on clinical rounds.

There are PGY-II psychiatry residents who work with the fellow at both Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and Methodist Hospital. The fellows have a primary role along with the attending physicians in helping to train and evaluate our medical students when they are on the Consultation Service.

Consultation/Liaison Fellows do not take call. Moonlighting in Consultation is available at our hospitals.